


whispering to me through the ether

by LiteraLi



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Family Feels, Family Reunions, Fix-It, Olicity Clue, Person: Mia, Place: Paradise Dimension, Post-Finale, Reunions, Spolicity Sex, Spoliver, Telepathic Bond, Thing: Wedding Rings, mentions of - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:27:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23343193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiteraLi/pseuds/LiteraLi
Summary: Oliver and Felicity have made the ultimate sacrifice to save the world. It’s time the universe repays them with the life they deserve.A post-finale Smoak-Queen family and Olicity reunion fix-it fic for Olicity Clue!
Relationships: Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Comments: 34
Kudos: 134
Collections: Olicity Clue





	whispering to me through the ether

**Author's Note:**

> It’s a little late but it’s finally here – my submission for Olicity Clue! Thank you to [SmoakingGreenArrow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmoakingGreenArrow) at olicitytropes on Tumblr for organizing and be sure to check out the other great works in the collection! Try and guess my clues (person, place and thing) in the comments!
> 
> Special thanks to [cfcureton](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cfcureton/pseuds/cfcureton) for being an amazing beta and to [allimarie_xf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/allimarie_xf/pseuds/allimarie_xf) for helping with song lyrics for the title!
> 
> Enjoy!

_∞_

_I’d be yours in time_

_You’ve been whispering to me through the ether_

_Letting me know you’re mine_

_Cause it’s always been you and me_

_And I’ve waited patiently_

_[Cusco by Allie Crow Buckley]_

_∞_

For as long as Mia Smoak-Queen could remember, she knew there was something special about her mother’s wedding ring.

It wasn’t just the fact that it symbolized her marriage to her husband, who she loved more than anyone should love another person, and their love for each other, which was bigger than the freakin’ universe.

No, there was something more, something Mia wouldn’t completely understand until she was older...

Probably the first time Mia came to realize the importance of the ring was one time when she was about four or five and Felicity thought it was lost. Mia can’t recall her mother being any more fraught and upset than she was that day. She had taken off the ring to take care of a particularly tall stack of dishes, not wanting to risk having it slip off and fall down the drain, only to freak out afterward when she couldn’t find it on the counter where she had placed it.

Her mom had let out a string of curses - multiple ‘frak’s along with worse words that she quickly told Mia to forget she’d heard (Mia knew better than to tell her mother she’d already learned most of them from William accidentally saying them around her) - and began to cry. Mia, who hated seeing her mother so upset, had run over and given her a hug. Her mom held her for a while and then they looked together for the ring. After a while of crawling around on the floor, Mia found the ring partially tucked under the kitchen rug; it must have rolled off the counter and gotten stuck there. 

Felicity cried again when she put her ring back on - this time from joy and relief - and smothered Mia with kisses of gratitude. And from then on, there were covers for all the drains and her mother never took her ring off again, no matter what.

“Did I ever tell you the story,” Felicity had asked her a little while later, when they’d both had a chance to calm down, “about when your daddy gave me this ring?”

“Yes, mama, when Unca Dig made you married at the park and everyone was mad that you ‘loped and then you had a party with a big cake…” Mia rattled off all of the details she had heard numerous times about her parents’ wedding.

Felicity chuckled. “No, not about how we got married, sweetie, let me tell you about how your daddy made our wedding rings and why this ring is so special to me…”

∞

_Felicity and Oliver are laying in his - no,_ their _\- bed after an exhausting day of traveling home from Central City and announcing to their family and friends that they returned as husband and wife. Telling William and Thea went as well as could be expected - they were both more than a bit shocked, but ultimately happy for them. Felicity is relieved that William seems to be taking the news okay; she has only really known the boy for a few months but she already loves him and wants this transition to be as easy as possible for him. Telling her mother was another story - Felicity knows she hasn’t heard the last from her mother about her feelings regarding them eloping, but Oliver was able to appease her at least by promising they would have a wedding reception in a couple of weeks._

_She lays her head on Oliver’s chest and sighs in contentment. Oliver Queen is her husband and she is his wife (and no one got injured in the process). She closes her eyes, snuggling in close, but opens them when she feels Oliver’s calloused finger rubbing back and forth over the skin just above her knuckle on her left ring finger._

_Felicity peers up at him with one eye, “Is there something you’re trying to tell me, dear husband?”_

_Will she ever tire of calling him that? She thinks not._

_“We need rings,” he tells her plainly, but then seems a bit nervous, “I mean, if you want-”_

_Felicity cuts him off with a kiss. She knows that her initial reaction to getting married earlier this week may have given Oliver the feeling she’s still not sure about their nuptials, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Oliver deepens the kiss and then gives her a few short pecks before pulling away._

_“I_ want _,” Felicity tells him, “I want everyone to know that I’m yours and you’re mine. You’ll wear one too, right?”_

_She knows some men don’t like to wear wedding rings, but she would never peg Oliver as one of them._

_“Of course I will,” Oliver murmurs, “I’ve been waiting years to wear your ring.”_

_She can’t help the smile that breaks out across her face. But it falls away as she realizes she’s going to have to bring something up if they’re talking about rings._

_“Oliver…” she starts slowly, and his eyes bore into hers, always completely focused on her, “I cannot wait to wear our wedding ring, but I don’t think I want to wear your mother’s engagement ring. It’s not because I’m not sure about us or because I haven’t forgiven you for lying and not trusting me.”_

_She rushes through the last part, wanting to make sure he understands she’s in this with him one hundred percent. He squeezes her hand though, assuring her he’s listening and signaling that she continue._

_“It just...it brings back bad memories, about the accident and the break-up - which was my fault as much as it was yours - and I’m not sure I can live with that reminder on my finger every day for the rest of my life.”_

_Felicity had avoided looking Oliver in the eye for that last part, but she glances back over at him to gauge his reaction...only to see him -_ smiling _?_

_“What are you smiling about?” she frowns._

_Oliver grins back at her. “You said ‘_ every day for the rest of my life.’”

_Oh. This_ man. _She did say that. Because they’re_ married _now and will be for the rest of their lives. The thought makes her smile back at him._

_But she’s not smiling for long because he leans down and captures her lips in a bruising, passionate kiss that leaves her breathless._

_Minutes - or hours - later, they come up for air and Felicity has to confirm. “So, you’re not mad - about the engagement ring?”_

_“No. I understand and it’s okay. You’re right, we should have a fresh start. You can even pick out the ring this time,” Oliver suggests._

_“Actually,” Felicity bites her still swollen lip, noticing Oliver’s eyes darken as she does, “I don’t need one. Men don’t wear engagement rings, so why should I? I just want a simple band that will match yours.”_

_“Okay,” Oliver agrees, his thumb and index fingers back to circling around her ring finger, “anything you want, my dear.”_

_And then the sap goes and_ kisses _her ring finger. So cheesy. But that doesn’t stop her from breaking out in a huge grin._

_She sighs happily and settles more comfortably on the pillows, turning so she can still see Oliver. He’s looking back at her, still holding her hand on his chest._

_“You should keep the ring, though,” she advises, “maybe someone else in the family will have use of it. Like Thea, or...maybe a daughter of our own, one day.”_

_She adds that last part quietly but of course Oliver picks up on it, eyes widening._

_“Yeah?” he asks, so softly and full of wonder._

_It does not go unnoticed how his hand travels up her arm and down to her side, very close to her belly. To where one day their baby may grow._

_It used to scare her to think about having children, even with Oliver. And they’re not ready just yet - there’s William to think of and so much else going on - but she’s not frightened anymore. In fact, right now it’s pretty much a matter of when, not if. They haven’t actually had a serious conversation about it, which they should, but it’s not going to be tonight._

_“Yeah,” she smiles, while taking his hand and removing it from its path towards her stomach and threading her fingers through his, “someday.”_

_He takes the hint that she doesn’t want to discuss this any further at the moment and just smiles back. This is a huge admission on her part and they both just take a moment to dwell in the meaning of what she’d just said aloud._

_After a beat, she brings the topic of conversation back to the matter at hand._

_“So, rings. We should probably have those before the reception in a couple weeks. I’ll have to look into that tomorrow,” she yawns, “wonder how long it will take to get them made. And we’ll have to decide on colors and if we want them engraved…”_

_“Actually-” Oliver interrupts and she narrows her eyes at him because he looks almost guilty._

_“Imayhavemadesomeweddingrings.”_

_“Excuse me?” Felicity’s brows shoot up._

_“Um,” Oliver swallows visibly, “I was kind of playing around with metal casting when I was making new arrows two years ago when we came back to Star City - you know, when I was experimenting with adding different metals to the aluminum alloy I use?”_

_"Uh-huh," she nods, urging him to continue. She normally doesn’t mind when he geeks out about his arrows - in fact, she’s helped him think up a lot of the designs - but right now, she needs him to get to the point._

_“Anyway, I had some platinum left over, and at first I was just trying to make you some jewelry but I knew I wanted to propose...and I kind of just made us some rings,” he finishes with a shy half-shrug._

_“And you kept them all this time?” Felicity breathes._

_“Yeah...but if you need a fresh start, I understand. I can make new ones or I’m sure we can find some to buy…” Oliver is still hesitant._

_Felicity gives him a quick peck on the lips, and then simply states, “Show me”._

_She almost regrets saying it, because it means she has to let go of him and allow him out of the bed, but it’s totally worth it when she sees where he’s been storing their rings. Yup, that’s right -_ their rings _\- because even though she’s yet to see them, she already knows they’re going to be perfect._

_She swears her breath catches when she sees Oliver duck down under the bed and pull out the wooden case where he keeps his most important possessions, such as his medicinal island herbs. To know that he chose to keep the rings there means more than words could ever say._

_He retrieves what he’s looking for, returns the case under their bed and clambers back onto the bed._ _Felicity has moved to sit leaning up against the headboard and he mirrors her position._

_His knee bumps against hers as he settles next to her and she smiles. He lays his fist on her lap and opens it slowly, palm up, to reveal the rings nestled inside._

_She lifts one up, running her fingers around the smooth surface, and then repeats the motion for the second one._

_“Well?” Oliver murmurs, intently studying her reaction._

_At first glance, there’s nothing inherently special about these rings. An outsider who didn’t know the story behind them wouldn’t look twice at them. Yet, that’s what makes them so special to Felicity - the fact that Oliver made them, using the same material he had used in his arrows. The arrows which symbolized how their lives were entwined not only as husband and wife, but also as partners as the Green Arrow and Overwatch._

_In lieu of answering, Felicity takes the larger of the two rings and slides it down Oliver’s left ring finger._

_It’s a perfect fit._

_Oliver meets her eyes, a mixture of shock and happiness in his gaze. She can’t help herself from smiling up at him. She can't remember the last time she felt this much joy, and it makes her even happier to know she’s the reason for the look on his face._

_He grins back, takes the other ring and slowly slides it onto her own ring finger. When it finally meets her knuckle, it feels so_ right _. Oliver brings her hand to his lips and places the softest of kisses right over her ring. He doesn’t let go of her hand as he lowers it, and uses his right thumb to caress the ring, slowly turning it side to side._

_She copies him, grasping his left hand in her right and running her thumb across his ring. She doesn’t think she’ll ever get tired of seeing the glinting band on his (or her) finger._

_“I love you,” Oliver finally says, his voice quavering slightly, overcome with emotion._

_“I love you so much,” Felicity echoes, eyes a bit teary herself and leans over to kiss her husband properly._

_He melts into the kiss willingly, and they somewhat reluctantly unlink hands so they can find a more comfortable position._

_They don’t speak again for a while._

_∞_

Mia Smoak Queen knew that her family life was not quite the same as other kids she knew. Most kids didn’t grow up in a mansion with not only their mother and brother, but with their grandparents and aunt and uncle (when they weren’t traveling the world as part of a ‘League of Heroes’) too. Most kids weren’t recognized everywhere for being the daughter of Overwatch and the late Green Arrow.

And most kids didn’t have to keep it a secret that their dad was most certainly not dead and that his being an all-powerful entity known as Spectre allowed him to visit his family whenever he wished.

Mia had been taught from a young age that she wasn’t allowed to tell _anyone_ \- except their immediate family and close friends such as the Diggles and Tommy - about her father.

For the most part, she didn’t mind, because it meant that she and her family got her father’s undivided attention.

And her daddy was the _best_ father.

It’s true, there were times he couldn’t be with them because he was off ‘keeping the order of the multiverse’ or other doing other vague things that Mia wasn’t old enough to comprehend. And sometimes she just missed her father and didn’t understand why he couldn’t be with them. She also knew that it made her mother sad when her father had to leave them, and she hated it when her mother was upset.

But her mom knew how to make her feel better when they were missing her father. She would tell her all kinds of stories about Team Arrow and explain to the best of her ability what her daddy was off doing, still and always a hero. When William was home, he would add in his own perspective and do his best to cheer up the both of them with the best hugs.

When her father was home, however, everything felt right. He would cook them breakfast, lunch and dinner and bake the most amazing snacks. Mia and William loved to help him out in the kitchen, but they quickly realized she had inherited her mother’s talents - which is to say, none. Still, she was able to assist with baking and simple no-bake recipes. Meanwhile, her father and William would cook up a storm and stockpile the freezer with meals for when he was away.

Out in the backyard of the mansion - which was fenced in and completely secured from all angles by her mother against any cameras or drones - Mia was taught by her dad how to ride a bike and do all kinds of athletic activities. They played around with a toy bow and arrow, but Oliver refused to train his little girl in anything more than some basic self-defense. He built her playsets and a treehouse and had picnics with her and her stuffed animals.

The best thing about having a father who the world believed to be dead was that when he was home - he was _home_. He spent all of his time with his family and closest friends. Mia had to share her father sometimes, of course, because he made sure to spend time with everyone when he came to visit. He would also make sure to take her mother ‘out’ on little dates regularly in one of the wings of the mansion where the two of them could be alone together. But when Mia was a little older, and William was off in college, she would often have a few hours of one-on-one time with her dad after school before her mom got back from work at Smoak Tech.

Sometimes it was hard that she could never go anywhere public with her father - although they did try and take family vacations once in a while to remote locations where they had the whole place to themselves. But Mia grew to cherish those afternoons they had to just _be_ together. They would normally start off with her dad trying to help her with her homework, but as she got older there would be more and more questions she had to put aside to ask her mom later. Instead, they would play outside or watch TV or prepare dinner together. And sometimes she would just ask him questions about anything and everything because she knew he would always try and answer her as best as he could.

It’s her father who enlightens her about the power of his and her mother’s wedding rings one night when she’s seven years old.

“What story would you like to hear tonight, Mia-bear?” Her daddy asks, as he tucks her into bed that night. Mia loves when it’s his turn to put her to sleep because he always lays with her in bed, telling her stories until she falls asleep.

“Tell me where you go when you’re not with us.” Mia has wondered about this a lot. Her mom and William always try to explain it to her, but she suspects they have made up a lot of it, either because she was too young to understand or because they didn’t have all the answers themselves.

Her father looks a little taken aback at her request, but as always he tries to accommodate her request.

“Hmm, okay,” he agrees after a moment, and Mia snuggles into her father’s chest. She always feels safe when he holds her like this, running his fingers through her hair.

“I’m going to try and explain it to you as best as I can, sweetie. Be patient with me, though, because I’m not as good as your mom and your brother when it comes to this kind of stuff, okay?”

Mia nods her head against her dad’s side, quiet and listening carefully.

“When I’m not here with you and Momma and William, I am…somewhere else. I know what you’re thinking - that’s no explanation at all. But it’s true. I can be wherever I want, whenever I want. You learnt all about the multiverse in school, right, honey?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Well, I can go anywhere I want to go in the multiverse. To any earth, to any place and to any time.”

“But why do you want to go, Daddy?” Mia is confused.

“I don’t _want_ to go, baby. I don’t like that I have to leave you. But when I’m not here, I’m not just your daddy. Of course, I’m still your daddy, I’ll always be your daddy. But there’s another part of me too, that is something else. And that part of me needs to go to other times and worlds and places, sometimes. To make sure everything and everyone is safe.”

Mia is still a little perplexed, but the things he’s telling her aren’t completely foreign. “So, it’s your hero part.” 

“My what, honey?”

“Momma says you have to go be a hero. You come home and be Daddy for me and Momma and Will but sometimes you have to go be hero for everyone else.”

“Your momma told you that, huh?” Her daddy chuckles.

“Uh-huh.”

“Well it’s not the exact words I would use, but I guess that’s more or less it. I have to go help other people because of my...hero part.”

“I wish I didn’t have to share you with other people, Daddy,” Mia whispers. She tries to be strong and brave, especially when her father is gone, because she doesn't want her mother to be sad that she’s upset. But mostly she just misses her dad when he has to go.

“I know, baby,” Her father kisses her forehead, “I wish I didn’t have to go either. But a long time ago...when you were just a baby, I got hurt very badly. The only way I could still be a father for you and William, be around for your mother, was to...keep being a hero. I had to accept this other part of me and become something else. Yes, I also did it to help everyone else. But most of all, I did it for you, your mother and your brother.”

That is a new one for her. She knows most people think her father is dead because of something that happened when she was a baby. She never realized it was connected to the reason her father has to leave sometimes.

“I’m happy you getta help other people, Daddy,” she tells him sincerely, because it’s true. She knows how much her mother and William are proud of him and she is too, “but I’m more happier you still getta come home and be with me.”

“I love you so much, my Mia.” Her father proceeds to smother her face with kisses, which always makes her giggle because his beard is so scratchy, until she almost can’t breathe from laughing too hard.

“Love you too, Daddy,” she finally gets out, once she catches her breath. She loves making her daddy smile whenever she says that to him.

“Daddy?” She questions. There is still something she wants to understand.

“Yeah, baby girl?”

“Is it fun, when you get to go wherever you want?”

“Well,” her dad ponders, “there _is_ something fun about it, I guess. It’s almost like I’m in another dimension. I can just think about somewhere I’d like to be and then _poof_ -”

He holds up his fists and then opens them quickly, startling Mia but making her giggle.

“-I’m there.”

“Woah,” Mia’s eyes grow wide. That _does_ sound cool.

“Yeah…” Her father sighs, as if he was agreeing with her but also…sad about it? “Some people might even call it paradise. But for me, it can’t be paradise without my family.”

Mia throws her arm as far as it can go around her father’s torso, hugging him tightly.

“Can’t we come visit you?”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that, sweetheart,” he apologizes, running his hand soothingly up and down her back. “If you came to me, you wouldn’t be able to come back home.”

Mia looks up from her embrace, leaning her chin on her father’s chest. “But how come you can come back?”

“Well, partially it’s because of that...other part of me. But also...it’s because of your mother and the connection I have to her.”

“Huh?”

“See this?” Her daddy adjusts their positions slightly, so that she is on his side again and can have a better view of what he’s showing her.

“Your wedding ring?”

“Yes,” her father smiles and caresses it slowly.

“You see, Mia, whenever I’m thinking of Mommy, or she’s thinking of me, I can _feel_ it. It’s this warm feeling that starts from the ring and spreads throughout my whole body. We can even kind of talk to each other, when we focus on each other and our rings. And when I focus and think about it hard enough, I can travel to wherever she is and that’s how I get to come here and visit you.”

So the _rings_ were what allowed her father to visit. Of all the mind-blowing information her father has shared with her that night - other dimensions, traveling through time and space, essentially _sharing his body with another being_ \- this is actually the easiest to comprehend. Because Mia knows how precious her mother’s ring is to her. And she constantly sees her touching it, rubbing her fingers over it, spinning it around with her thumb. In fact, Mia can clearly picture her mother closing her eyes while she did it, as if…focusing on something. And she definitely can remember exact times when she would touch the ring while waiting for her father to show up. All those times – she must have been communicating with him and in fact granting him the ability to visit.

“Woah,” is all Mia can say at first, leaning over to touch her daddy’s ring. It is warm and smooth, but it doesn’t feel any different than she would have expected. She looks up into her father’s warm eyes, “Momma touches her ring a _lot_ when you’re away. She’s always thinking of you.”

Mia loves watching the crinkles form next to her daddy’s eyes when he smiles. “I know, honey. And I’m always, always, always, _always_ , thinking of you too, waiting until I can come back to you.”

“Thank you for telling me the truth, Daddy. I love you.” Mia leans over for one last hug before lights out.

Her father hugs her back tightly. “I love you too, Mia.”

∞

_During that dark time after Oliver just…disappeared, Felicity only found solace in two things. Her children, first and foremost - although there was a while in the beginning when she couldn’t bear to do much more than just go through the motions with Mia. Things got a little easier and less unbearable when William finally came home with them; something about seeing the two of them together – albeit without Oliver – helped warm her bereaving heart._

_The second thing? Her wedding ring. Touching it, twisting it, just feeling its weight on her finger – it all made her feel just the_ tiniest _bit better. It was a reminder that what she and Oliver had was real – it was strong and all-consuming, the deepest kind of love, and a bond that could not be severed, not even by death._

_Soon after they had gotten married, and exchanged rings, she noticed Oliver constantly rubbing his fingers over his own ring. She had asked him about it, worried that he had just replaced one nervous tick – rubbing together his thumb and middle finger, as if rolling an arrow back and forth – for another. Oliver had been surprised at her train of thought, and coyly explained to her that the opposite was true – the motion of feeling his ring_ calmed _him and helped him to feel more grounded._

_And happy._

_“Felicity?” he had asked her, a smirk on his face._

_“What?” she had replied, her tone defensive._

_“Have you noticed…that you do the very same thing with your own ring?”_

_“I do not!” she had insisted, only to see Oliver looking at her pointedly, eyes focused on her hands where she was…_

_…twisting her ring round and round._

_“Oh, frak, I do do that too!” They had both dissolved into a fit of giggles, which quickly turned into something a little less innocent…_

_Touching her ring now, with Oliver…gone (that will never be easy to say), she remembers little moments like those, when they were happy and believed they would get to have their happily ever after._

_At first, fiddling with the ring gave her what she would probably consider to be psychological comfort – the same way Mia could be comforted with her favorite ‘security blankie’. But after a while, Felicity could swear the motion gave her actual, physical solace – like a warm feeling, that started in the ring but filled her whole body with warmth and the knowledge in her bones that everything was going to be okay. And that_ Oliver _was okay._

_Felicity had never been one for believing in the supernatural, but after everything she had seen in the past years - not to mention her latest trip through the Book of Oa – if the universe was giving her this magical ability to feel (somewhat) at peace and know her husband was out there somewhere, at peace too? She’d take it._

_When she started hearing the voice, though, she was sure she was going nuts. Or at the very least, was sleep-deprived. Warm, fuzzy feelings was one thing – but hearing_ voices _? That was taking it a bit too far…_

_But the voice never went away. Instead, it got louder, and stronger, and sounded a lot like –_

‘Fe-li-ci-ty…’

_During one long, never-ending, sleepless night, after putting Mia back in her crib for what she hopes is the last time, Felicity crawls back into bed, rubbing her ring mindlessly. And she hears the voice again, calling to her._

_‘Felicity…’_

_Oh, what the frak_ , _she thinks, and answers back for the first time._

_‘O-oliver?’ she asks in her head, hesitantly. She hadn’t allowed herself to even formulate the thought that_ Oliver _was the one speaking to her but, come on – if she was going to hear voices, she might as well give in to her deepest desires._

_‘Felicity.’ is the only response._

_But the voice is crystal clear now - as if her acknowledging it suddenly stabilized the flaky connection._

_In her head or not – she is now one hundred percent sure she is and has been hearing her husband._

_‘Oh my God’, she thinks, ‘is that really you?’_

_‘Yes, it’s me.’_

_Felicity covers her face with shaky hands, still not comprehending that she was somehow talking to her late husband. That is –_

_‘Wait. How is this even possible? Where_ are _you? Are you…you know…dead?’_

_‘No. Not dead... Want to explain it to you…but hard to…hold the connection.’_

_His voice is fading and she feels tears run down her face, not ready for him to go._

_‘You come back to me, Oliver Queen, you hear me? You promised.’_

_‘Love you…follow…the…ring,’ are the last words she makes out._

_After crying herself to sleep that night, Felicity starts off the next day by trying to comprehend his words. Her wedding ring is somehow the key to getting her husband back, in some shape or form._

_Over the next days and weeks, she practices honing that connection, trying to replicate the same level of concentration she had experienced that night. And she can tell it is working, for besides the warm tingly feeling, she can sometimes feel_ emotions _, and she just knows they are whatever Oliver is feeling at that given moment._

_Soon enough, they are able to talk again, and for longer periods of time the more they practice using this new method of communication. And shortly afterward Oliver tells her he’s pretty sure his new abilities as the Spectre should allow him to visit her here on earth. It takes some time, but finally one night, following some intense concentration and meditation – Oliver appears in her bedroom._

_Right on top of her._

_After getting over the shock of existing on the same plane again and the ‘botched landing’, they quickly take advantage of the position._

_After that, it’s like the floodgates have opened. Communicating through the rings – whether it be a flash of emotion, a quick thought or an in-the-flesh visit – becomes second nature for Felicity. In fact, she has never felt so in tune with Oliver before. This supernatural, telepathic connection brings them closer than ever before._

_Which is not to say there are no mishaps in the beginning. There were one too many times when Felicity had barely tapped her ring before Oliver appeared out of the blue – even at the most inopportune times, like when she was in public and he quickly had to hide or when she was in the bath and he landed just between her feet, getting his cloak sopping wet. But they soon get the hang of it and are able to control when and where he appears, avoiding anyone other than their close friends and family knowing he’s there._

_And so things go. Felicity and Oliver have a relatively normal, happy life, raising their two wonderful children. Oliver is home with them whenever his duties as Spectre allow it and the rest of the world stays none the wiser. And when he is gone, the bond they share through their rings allow them to share their thoughts and feelings at all times._

_Oliver promises her that one day she will be able to join him, on whatever plane he exists on when he isn’t at home with her. But they both agree that she won’t leave their children until they no longer need her. (And truth be told, when does a child ever stop needing their mother?) And so, they live. Together, but also apart._

_Until one day in 2040._

∞

“Mom?” Mia calls out into the huge void that is their mansion’s entryway. She knows the security system will pick up on her voice and alert her mother that she and William are there.

Sure enough, “In my office!”, comes the reply over the loudspeakers.

She exchanges a glance with her brother, who gives her a nod. This is one of the hardest things they’ll ever have to do, but it’s necessary. The fact that their mother, despite being semi-retired, is working on a Sunday afternoon is just another sign this is the right move.

“Can you meet us in the family room, Mom?” William asks. Mia smiles at him; the story goes that soon after he had moved into the mansion with her mother and herself as a baby, he had requested that one of the many rooms be commandeered for just the three (and sometimes four) of them. It was something that helped make this huge house with all of its then-inhabitants feel more like a home. There had been many Smoak-Queen family meetings in that room, as well as family game nights or movie nights. It’s fitting that this discussion should take place there too.

They climb the stairs together after hearing Felicity agree to the location. She’s already waiting to greet them by the time they get to the family room, her office being right next door.

“Well, this is a surprise,” she says, as she hugs them in turn.

Mia gives her mother a quick once over as she pulls back, taking extra notice of the dark circles under her mother’s eyes, and how she seems a bit thinner than usual. She’s smiling and Mia knows it’s not at all fake - she is genuinely happy to see them - but it doesn’t completely reach her eyes or hide the sullen and somber mood that has been following her mother around lately.

“I would have made snacks if I knew you two were coming,” Felicity comments as they all sit down, “I mean, you know - I would have _ordered_ something for you to eat. Actually, do you want me to get some Big Belly Burger, I can just pull up their app-”

William stops her before she can reach for her phone, “No, Mom it’s okay. We’re not hungry, we actually stopped by because we wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Oh.” Her mom stiffens for a moment, only just realizing the serious look of concern on her children’s faces and the way they are sitting together on the couch just opposite her. It’s a position they’ve sat in countless times before - only this time, it’s her and William who have initiated this little sit-down. “Why do I feel like this is some kind of intervention?”

“It’s not an _intervention_ , Mom,” Mia starts, even though it kind of is, “We’ve just been worried about you lately. You seem...a bit run down.” It’s the nicest way she knows to put it, when really, she and William have been talking about their mother with words such as ‘distracted’, ‘sad’ and ‘depressed’. 

Her mother is quite taken aback at the comment, so Mia is glad she wasn’t any more direct. 

“I’m not sure what you mean, Mia. I guess I’ll have to call up my hairdresser,” Felicity jokes unsuccessfully, hand reaching up to smooth down her (immaculate) hair.

“Mom,” Mia tries again, “William and I have noticed, lately, that it’s been a lot harder on you during the times in between when Dad is able to come visit.”

Mia watches as her mom instinctively reaches to touch her ring, only to stop herself and make both hands into fists, setting them on either side of her lap.

“It’s sweet of you to worry, kids, but I’m fine, really,” she insists, even as her eyes start to glisten with tears, “I’ve been doing this for a long time, now. It’s still hard, but I’m okay, I promise.”

“You have been doing this for a long time, Mom. But things are different now. You used to have William and I to look after and keep you occupied when Dad was away. But now William is busy running Smoak Tech and I know I haven’t been home enough from college, I’m sorry...It makes total sense that you’d be lonely.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Mia. Either of you. I’m - we’re _both_ \- so proud of you two. I have my ways to keep busy. It’s enough to know one of you may pop by. You’re never too old to stop needing your mother.”

“Mom,” William steps in, and Mia is grateful. She knows her brother will give their mom the tough love she needs right now. “We will _always_ need you. But you have sacrificed so much for Mia and me already. It’s time for you to have what you deserve.”

“I don’t understand,” Felicity shakes her head slowly.

“It’s Dad,” William states, “You deserve to go and be with him, always.”

“No, no, I can’t.” Felicity refuses, her head shaking more quickly now.

“Yes, you can, Mom. Mia and I have known for a while now. There’s a way for you to go and be with him, in whatever dimension it is that he spends the rest of his time.”

“A paradise dimension,” Mia echoes. “That’s what he called it. A place where you and he can just - exist together. Whenever, wherever.”

“If you know all that, then you also must know that there’s a catch. Your father may be able to come and go - but I won’t have that option-” Their mother is teary-eyed, not willing to comprehend what her children are telling her to do.

“Please, Mom,” William counters, “If there’s anyone who can figure out how to visit us - it’s you. You’ve taught us that there’s always another way. But even if not...we’ll be okay. We have Grandma and Savta and our aunts and uncles and friends and boyfriends.” 

William smirks at Mia as he mentions their current significant others. It seems he will never stop teasing her for how she ended up with their family friend after years of denying there was anything going on between them. She just rolls her eyes at him.

“Exactly!” Felicity exclaims, fitting her children with a stern look, “There’s no way I’m going to miss out on the rest of your lives - the graduations, the weddings, the _grandchildren_.”

“Ugh, Mom, no!” Mia groans. William just shudders and leans his head in his hands.

“I didn’t mean _right now,_ Mia, obviously. In the future. And you know I respect your views William, but you never know, one day with the right person…” Felicity sighs when she sees her children are not responding well to her little comment. “Anyway, I want to be around for you two. This life that me and your father have, it’s not ideal, no. But it’s worth it.”

“Mom.” Mia tries one last time to get through to her mother. “William and I love you so much. And we appreciate everything you’ve done for us. We don’t want you to go either. But we love you too much to make you stay.”

“You’re not _making_ me-” Felicity protests, but Mia cuts her off.

“We’re going to be okay, Mom. You made sure of that, just like you promised Dad. And now it’s time for you to keep your other promise to him - you have to go find him.”

William looks at her then and grabs her hand, squeezing it softly. She smiles back at her brother, sad but victorious. She can tell she finally said the right thing to get her mother to concede, because she’s crying and nodding her head.

“I don’t know why we told you all of those stories,” her mother says through her tears, “you just take them and turn them around on us.”

“That’s what kids are for, I think,” William chuckles, teary himself, “cheeky little things.”

“Only the best ones,” Felicity corrects, and holds open her arms towards her children. They don’t waste any time, crossing the short distance and sidling up on either side of her on the couch.

Mia closes her eyes and just takes in the feel of her mother stroking her hair back, for what could be the last time.

“Oh, but don’t think I’m missing your graduation, missy,” Felicity proclaims, looking down at her, “and we’ll have to do some kind of official handing over of the title of CEO to you, William. One last Smoak Tech benefit, don’t you think?”

William smiles, touched. “That would be perfect, Mom.”

“Well then,” Felicity takes a deep breath, and Mia can almost see a burden being lifted from her shoulders. As much as it hurts, she knows in her bones this was the right thing to do. Her mother takes one of each of their hands in hers and squeezes tight, “after that, I guess I’ll be as ready as I’ll ever be.

“I’ve waited a very long time to go be with him.”

∞

_“Hi. I’m glad you finally made it.”_

_It’s been weeks - months? - since Oliver uttered those words to her. Words that were 20 years in the making. Felicity teased Oliver so much for his little scene-setting, especially when he admitted to testing out multiple scenarios over the years, making sure he got everything just right for her arrival._

_Felicity can’t remember the last time she was ever this happy. It’s just her and Oliver here, with infinite possibilities._

_They had started with living out their every fantasy in Queen Consolidated. AKA having sex in every location and position imaginable - starting with her cubicle downstairs and ending with his office desk._

_Oliver had explained to her that time worked differently for him now. He obviously knew that she was on Earth-1, but at the same time he could also just close his eyes and experience any of his memories, and it would be as if she was with him. She was so, so happy to hear that he hadn’t been completely alone when he was here._

_“Close your eyes…” he had whispered to her, after round three in his office, this time against the floor to ceiling window - with the thrill of being in plain sight of all the (not) people below._

_She had complied, and when he whispered to open them, she was shocked to see that they had completely changed locations. Whether he had teleported them here or just flat out reshaped the particles of time and space around them, she had no idea. One day she would figure out the science behind this so-called paradise dimension. But not just yet, not when she was naked with her husband in--_

_The foundry! Oliver looked quite proud of himself when she looked around in awe and gave him a suggestive smile. They never had a chance to do it here… Well, that’s not to say there weren’t any_ opportunities, _just none they had taken advantage of at the time. They reconcile that mistake quickly - on the metal table she had saved his life on, the desk which housed the computers whose systems she had updated and the salmon ladder. (The salmon ladder sex wasn’t new, per se, but there was no way she could give up the chance to do it again in its original location)._

_After that, they’d done a quick visit of some of their ‘greatest hits’ in Ivy Town, the loft in Star City and the cabin in Bloomfield, recreating some steamy moments and creating new, steamier ones._

_Then Oliver had taken her on a whirlwind tour of all of their proposed honeymoon destinations, starting with Aruba._

_Now, as she opens her eyes, she can’t even remember where they supposedly are - Fiji? The Maldives? All she knows is there’s water, endless blue skies, and she’s naked in a canopy bed with her husband where they had made love all night long. She sighs, rolling over and into Oliver’s side. His arm immediately wraps around her, holding her tight._

_“So…what’ll it be today, honey?” Oliver whisper is sleepy yet sultry. He nibbles on her ear and proceeds to leave lazy kisses down her jaw._

_She turns to meet his lips in a searing kiss (one of the best parts of wherever they are? No morning breath) but before he can deepen the kiss, she puts her hand on his chest to stop him and pushes away from him slightly._

_She can’t believe she’s about to do this, but she just can’t take it anymore. Everything has been so wonderful – more than she could ever imagine – but her curiosity has gotten the best of her, yet again._

_“Oliver, dearest,” she begins, as he looks up at her with what can only be described as puppy-dog eyes, “my love. Can you please explain it to me again? Where we are? How this all works? How you were able to travel to me on Earth-1? All you’ve said is that somehow the rings -”_

_Oliver cuts her off by plopping his head back on his pillow and sighing with great exaggeration. She loves seeing Oliver like this – the happy, content Oliver she only really got a glimpse of when they were traveling the world after he had given up being the Arrow the first time, and for those short few months in the cabin. The Oliver that doesn’t walk around like he’s bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders (although ironically, he technically_ does _right now) but instead just wants to cook her dinner and buy cute clothes for their kids or show off his other-worldly powers and whisk her off on an adventure through space and time. This Oliver just wants to be with her and impress her it’s just so darn_ cute _._

_“I told you. The connection we share – that is, our love – it’s the power that courses through our rings, ties me to you, lets us communicate and allowed me to visit you,” Oliver says slowly, as if he’s explaining it to her for the hundredth time. Which he is. But his answer is still not enough for her._

_“But you can travel to anywhere you want, right?” she counters._

_“It’s different. I can go to places I’m ‘called to’, so to speak. Places that need my help. But with you – it’s a different kind of pull. It’s much more instantaneous.”_

_“Ugh,” she groans, throwing the covers off and getting up out of bed, not even caring that she is stark naked, “that’s IT!”_

_Oliver looks startled but he doesn’t say anything, just sits up and waits to hear what she has to say._

_“All this – the ‘power of our love’, the ‘magical connection’ – it’s beautiful, Oliver, really. It’s – spectacular! And I know you believe what you’re saying, it’s just…I know there has to be more. There’s got to be some kind of scientific explanation for all of this. And I don’t think I can do this anymore until I’ve figured it out.”_

_She doesn’t mean to hurt him, but she sees the instant his face falls. She needs to find the words to explain what she means. To explain why it’s essential that she figure out how this all works._

_“You’re not happy here.” Oliver is crestfallen, looking so sad and dejected._

_“No!” Felicity scrambles to say, making her way around the bed to crouch next to him. “No, Oliver – I promise, I_ am _happy. The happiest I’ve ever been, because for once – I know this is it, we’ve made it. And if I knew it was just us forever, until the end of time, that would be amazing and I wouldn’t – well, I may need a hobby or something – but I wouldn’t need to figure this out. It’s just that, well, it’s not just us I’m thinking about.”_

_She sees in his eyes the moment it clicks. He takes her hand and looks up at her._

_“The kids.”_

_“Yes!” Felicity throws up her hands in triumph, glad she was able to make herself understood. The movement means Oliver’s hand is thrown off but she’s buzzing with so much pent up energy that she can’t not pace the room right now. “William and Mia. God, it feels good to say their names out loud. I miss them so much, Oliver.”_

_They had talked about the kids here, of course. But they had been so happy to have time, just the two of them. Back on earth, whenever Oliver visited there had always been other people to think of, others that wanted to spend time with him. Here, they had fully taken advantage of the fact that they only had one another to focus on. Oliver was still ‘called’ to other places from time to time, but the way time passed here made it so that it never seemed he was gone longer than a few moments. They had spent so much time just enjoying each other that at first, the kids weren’t on her mind constantly._

_But lately – she couldn’t_ stop _thinking about them, wondering how Mia was finding life post-college, if JJ had popped the question yet with the ring he had asked her for before she left and more importantly, when Mia would realize Connor was head over heels in love with her. She also hoped William was doing okay with Smoak Tech – she was sure he was handling everything just fine, but she did leave quite abruptly, leaving behind a lot of loose ends. She wondered how things were going with Kevin and really hoped this one didn’t break her boy’s heart. And she couldn’t stop thinking about how the Monitor told her “there is no return”, or about William’s belief that she would find a way._

_Because there was_ always _another way._

_If she could just figure out the science behind it…_

_“I know, Felicity,” Oliver stands and walks towards her, offering her his hand to hold, if she’d just stop pacing. She takes it, and takes a moment to slide her eyes down and up his body before meeting his eyes (they_ are _still naked, after all, and she’s not blind). He doesn’t ignore the action and smirks at her before continuing with a more serious tone. “I miss them too. So much. If I could figure out how to get back to them, I would. But I told you – what we had was completely different than anything else I experience when I…travel.”_

_“That’s ok, hon,” Felicity cups his jaw with her free hand, “that’s why you married me, remember? Now is there some kind of lab you can conjure up or something…”_

_She gives him her best head-tilt/puppy eyes combo and he nods into her hand, resigned but understanding._

_The next thing she knows they are standing in a huge lab that is kind of a cross between the labs of the old QC Applied Sciences, Palmer Tech and Smoak Tech, full of any kind of equipment she could possibly imagine (fully dressed now, which is good, because safety first, but also sad because, well, they’re not naked anymore)._

_She gives Oliver a long, passionate kiss after giving the room a sweeping glance._

_“Thank you,” she tells him sincerely._

_“No, thank_ you _. You’re right, there’s a lot I don’t understand about how this all works, and I want us to be able to go back and check in on the kids from time to time. I know you gave up everything to come be with me…and even though the kids gave you their blessing, it can’t have been easy coming here knowing technically you can’t return. Even though I might be able to still see them from time to time, if I’m called to somewhere where they are, it’s not the same as when I was able to pop over whenever I wanted. I’m glad you’re going to try and solve this because I want it too.”_

_“It_ was _a hard decision, but ultimately – there was no choice to make,” Felicity squeezes Oliver’s hand, making sure he knows she has absolutely no regrets about coming to be with him. From his nod and upturned lips, she knows the familiar words have done the job of conveying the sentiment. “But I do owe it to the kids and to ourselves to try and figure this out…what will you do while I’m working?”_

_“I’ll be here, if you need anything…or, more importantly, to remind you to take breaks for food and…other things,” he says suggestively._

_Felicity shakes her head in amusement, “Won’t you be bored?”_

_“Nope,” Oliver states matter-of-factly._

_“Ok then!” Felicity smiles and gives him one last peck on the lips, “In that case, I’m going to need your ring, I’m going to start off with a few scans…”_

_“No!” Oliver refuses vehemently, pulling his left hand close to his chest in a fist and covering it with his right, “I’ve had to take this ring off twice against my will since we got married, but I put it back on 20 years ago and haven’t taken it off since. Even as Spectre, it’s always been on my finger and honestly I think the balance of the multiverse would be at risk if I ever took it off.”_

_She can’t tell if he honestly believes what he’s saying but she knows he’s serious about not taking the ring off and she can’t say his words don’t make her heart sing. She herself had only taken the ring off while in Hope Springs and then that one time she thought she lost it – so she understands his fears of taking it off._

_“Okay, you can keep it on but I’m going to need you to keep still while I run these tests…”_

_“Happily.”_

_For the next days and weeks, Felicity spends almost all her time in the lab. She starts by collecting data – she makes 3D scans of the rings, tests their molecular composure and records of any type of energy or vibration the rings give off. She collects blood and saliva samples from both of them and sequences their entire genomes. She has Oliver appear and reappear, conjure specific or random items and makes detailed observations, using algorithms she writes to draw conclusions from the collected data._

_Oliver keeps his promise of making sure she takes breaks to eat and do…other activities. Often._

_It doesn’t take long for her to crack it. There’s a lot she learns about this ‘paradise dimension’, and still a lot that remains to be discovered. When she explains her findings to Oliver, she decides not to bore him with all the scientific and mathematical models. What she does do is give him the three important hypotheses she’s made based on the results from her research:_

  1. _Their rings vibrate on the same frequency, one that is different than the frequencies any of the earths in the multiverse vibrate on. She hasn’t yet been able to tap into the vibration frequency of the dimension they’re in, but she suspects it will be the same as their rings. Which means, they should be able to travel to Earth-1 if they can focus on another object that operates on the same wavelength. In theory, Oliver should have the power to select such an object, most probably an item he has some kind of connection to. He likely ‘activated’ their rings without even knowing it._
  2. _They technically should need someone on the other side to be thinking of them and focusing on the object too, which may be tricky. But hopefully their children_ do _think of them from time to time, so it’s really just a matter of trying to get through at the right time._
  3. _There_ is _no return for her, not alone. Because the only way for them to return to their children is_ together, _using Oliver’s powers and her mind_.



_After she explains her thoughts to Oliver excitedly, there’s only one thing left to do._

_They have to try._

∞

Mia sits at the desk in the bunker, spinning slowly in her chair. Well, it’s William’s chair, actually – his desk, his monitors, his chair – but what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Besides, as the rest of their team tends to forget – she’s not at all hopeless with tech, far from it. It’s just not what she decided to do with her life.

Because it turns out the direction life took led her to becoming the next Green Arrow.

She’s going to need a real job too – a cover – maybe she’ll take another page out of her dad’s book (and apparently her own, parallel life) and open a nightclub.

But lately she’s just been trying to keep her head on straight after all the changes she’s gone through in the past few months. First – Mom left, and she hadn’t seen her dad since then either, then she got _engaged_ and then that Laurel just had to go and give her her memories from another life. A life that sucked pretty bad.

Then William got kidnapped, but she got him back, thankfully. Then she’d traveled back in time to her dad’s ‘funeral’, where she got to see her mother one more time and meet her ‘little’ big brother. When she got home, she knew more than ever that she wanted to continue her father’s legacy, but first – she had to tell those closest to her what was going on.

William took the news surprisingly well, and even more surprisingly – wanted a place on Team Arrow as Overwatch 2.0. Aunt Sara came to take Dinah and Laurel back to their own time, and in their place, Mia and William recruited Zoe as their very own Black Canary. They were missing a Spartan at the moment – and JJ would have been the obvious choice, if not for the fact that Mia couldn’t get the images of him as Deathstroke, driving a sword through her friend’s chest, out of her head.

The few times she had run into Connor lately (which she normally tried to avoid, especially since getting back memories of what the two of them had been to each other…before), she had the weirdest sense that he somehow _knew_ what she was up to at night. The old Connor may have been the perfect Spartan for their team, but this Connor was a mess and she was better off putting him out of her thoughts, or so she told herself.

Mia sighs; thinking about the Diggle brothers always makes her head (and heart) hurt. She has yet to tell JJ about any of this and she knows she’s running out of time. She stares at her engagement ring, like she does about a million times a day and wonders yet again if it will ever stop feeling so…heavy. Especially knowing what her parent’s rings symbolized, she wishes the day will soon come when it will just feel natural to wear it on her finger.

Mia sighs again – looking at her ring always reminds her of her parents and how much she misses them. She would do anything to see them again, to hear what they thought of the engagement, of her taking up the mantle of the Green Arrow. She knows without a doubt that telling her mom to go had been the right thing, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t wish she could still talk to them and ask for their advice.

She spins around in the chair one last time before facing the screens. She might as well get a start on scanning the streets for anyone that might need their help tonight while she waits for William to get here after work. Zoe had to stay late at her day job, so it’s just going to be the two of them tonight. She’s just about to pull up the police scanner app William built when she hears the elevator doors open.

Busted.

“Mia Smoak-Queen!” Her brother’s voice echoes through the tall ceiling of the bunker, “You better not be doing what I think you’re doing!”

She gets out of his chair as he (not so gracefully) clambers up the steps to the platform and rushes over to check on his ‘babies’.

“Chill, bro,” she says teasingly, leaning against the desk, “all I did was open up the police scanner app. And no – I _did not_ eat in front of the monitors.”

William closes his mouth; clearly Mia has guessed exactly the next words he had been planning to say. Still, he turns to the screens and gives them a thorough look over before plopping down in his chair and facing her.

“Okaaaay, now that I know no harm has come to my beautiful machines-”

Mia rolls her eyes at the comment, which was not exactly smart thinking on her part because now he’s sure to bring up-

“Oh, you’re rolling your eyes now missy, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget how while I was defending my thesis, _animal fart sounds_ started playing during my presentation! I’ve never been more mortified in my entire life!”

Oh, he makes this too easy.

“Never?” Mia grins mischievously, “Not even the time-”

William realizes the trap he’s fallen into, eyes widening as he yells “NOPE!” and tries to cover Mia’s mouth with his hand before she can finish her sentence.

He’s mildly successful, not because Mia isn’t able to break her way out of her brother’s hold – because she totally could and he knows it – but because she’s suddenly overcome with the giggles and can’t get the rest of her words out. She hadn’t thought of that little prank in a while. Mia hadn’t even been ten years old at the time and her mother had demonstrated the animal fart trick as a way to get her daughter more interested in computers. Of course, the only thing Mia had taken from that lesson was a way to get more attention from her big brother who was off at college. He had been furious at the time, but she can’t help but laugh thinking back on it. It feels good to think of simpler times and just…be happy.

Laughter is contagious and soon enough, William has joined in. When they both finally calm down and get their breathing under control, William smiles at her. “I can’t remember the last time I laughed like that…especially not with everything that’s been going on.”

“Yeah, me neither,” she smiles back widely, “feels good. Everything has been so stressful lately.”

William nods, agreeing with her.

“I want to believe we’re doing the right thing,” Mia continues, “but it would really help if someone would just confirm it.”

“I miss them too,” William replies.

Of course he gets what she means without her saying it outright – he always does. Mia gives him a small smile and nods. “I would give anything to talk to them again – to ask them how they did it all while still keeping a grip on the rest of their lives. And I wonder if they would be proud that we’ve taken on their legacy, or if they’d be upset.”

William puts his hands in his pockets and frowns slightly, fidgeting with something in one of his hands. “I don’t think they’d be upset. Worried for us – sure, maybe even a little scared. But they’d _definitely_ be proud of us, that’s for sure. I mean, in another lifetime Mom and Dad even _trained_ you for this life.”

“Yeah…” Mia acknowledges, but she’s still not totally convinced. Oh well, it’s not worth dwelling on something she has no way of ever finding out. “I better go suit up, just in case. Let me know if anything comes up on the scanner.”

“Mia-” William puts his hand out to stop her, probably trying to get her to talk more about how she’s feeling. But she’s had enough of the heart-to-heart tonight, now all she really wants is to get out on the streets and maybe take out her aggravation on a criminal, or two, if she’s lucky.

Before she can make it to her suit, however, she notices the elevator starting to move, out of the corner of her eye.

“I thought you said Zoe couldn’t make it tonight,” Mia tilts her head towards her brother, while still keeping an eye on the elevator, survival instincts kicking in.

“She couldn’t,” he answers, and she can hear the fear in his voice. No one should be able to get into this place, let alone take control of the elevator.

“Stay back,” she warns him, grabbing a spare arrow from one of the tables and making her way over to where she’ll have the best vantage point. She doesn’t have time to grab her bow, but the position will allow her to take whoever comes out of the elevator by surprise – she hopes it’s enough. She’s not letting anything happen to William this time, not again.

When the elevator doors finally open and she lays her eyes on the occupants, she drops the arrow in shock.

It’s her _parents_.

Behind her, she can hear William’s surprised gasp. All she can do is blink in disbelief at the sight before her very eyes.

Her father and her mother, Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak-Queen, looking just as they did the last time she saw them, are stepping out of the elevator.

“Dad?” comes William’s voice, sounding a bit high pitched, “Mom!”

The next thing Mia knows, William is rushing past her in a blur, throwing his arms around the two newcomers. Mia is still frozen in place, watching the scene unfold in front of her as if it’s a scene in a movie and not happening in real life.

She’s pulled out of her trance when she hears a voice call her name.

“Mia?”

Her _mom’s_ voice. Her mother, who left almost a year ago to a place she didn’t think she’d ever be able to come back from, is walking towards her right this very moment, arms wide open.

“How is this real?” Mia wonders out loud, eyes flickering from her mother to her father to William and back, “ _Is_ this real?”

“It’s a long story,” her mother says, finally reaching Mia’s side, “but I promise you – yes, it’s very real.”

Mia flings her arms around her mother at last with a small sob. Her father and William make their way over as well and they enjoy a family hug for a few minutes, until some of them need to pull away and wipe their tears. _Happy_ tears.

“This is _insane_ ,” Mia says, leaning into her father’s side, one of his arms around her. They all chuckle.

“Tell me about it,” her dad says, “I wasn’t sure it was even possible, but of course your mother with her brilliant mind was able to figure out how we could come see you two. Trust me, you don’t want to know all of the science behind it. No, wait, I take that back - William, Mom can explain it to you later.”

Her father grins at William, who looks as though he’s ready to ask a million questions.

“I knew you would find a way back to us, Mom,” William tells her instead and is rewarded with another hug.

Mia notices her dad looking around, taking in the sight of the bunker, restored to its pristine condition, two of the cases against the wall housing superhero suits. He turns to her and is getting ready to ask her something when William speaks again.

“Come on, you’ve got to give me _some_ kind of explanation to hold me over – even something simple enough for Mia to understand.”

“Hey!” Mia is sure to sound deeply offended.

Her mother shakes her head, scolding him, but obliges. She explains that they needed three things in order to travel back to Earth-1 from their ‘paradise dimension’ – to do it together - using Oliver’s power as the Spectre; an emotional connection to the people they wished to visit – made possible by William and Mia thinking and talking about them earlier; and a physical object through which they could channel all of that power.

It’s a lot to take in, though not unbelievable considering their parent’s own unconventional bond throughout the years. Mia’s eyes do widen when she hears the last criteria, though. What object could they be…

“Not the pet rock!” Mia exclaims and spins round towards her brother-

-Who’s holding the hozen in his hand, a huge grin on his face. “I knew it!” he exclaims, “I mean, I always thought it was possible, you always said it symbolized _reconnection_.”

Her parents exchange a glance, smiling at each other, looking so happy and at peace.

“I cannot believe you’ve been carrying that around with you in your pocket every day,” Mia shakes her head at William. She can’t believe she’s actually glad he never gave up on the pet rock idea, but she needs confirmation before she’ll ever admit to it. “Is that really the object that allowed you to come back?”

She turns to her parents for an answer but her Mom only winks at her, as if to tell her she’s just got to give this one to William. Oh well, she’s sure she’ll find new things to tease him about.

“So, which one of you wants to explain what we’re doing in the old Arrow bunker…?” her mother changes the topic, as if only now noticing where they are.

Mia looks to William, eyes wide, and they both exclaim at the same time--

“You can explain!”

∞

_And they all live happily ever after._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear what you thought in the comments! Don’t forget to guess my clues – person, place and thing :)  
> Also check out this stunning gif set by olicitygifs, https://olicitygifs.tumblr.com/post/182667779984/oliverfelicity-touching-their-wedding-rings, and this amazing video by infinitecanvas, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAU7psIwPbQ, which helped inspire parts of this fic!  
> P.S. I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy during these crazy times. Hope you are staying home and reading lots of good fic :)


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